Decreasing cancer risk associated with inflammatory bowel disease

Public release date: 9-Jul-2012
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Contact: Sarah Jackson
press_releases@the-jci.org
Journal of Clinical Investigation

Inflammatory bowel disease is caused by chronic inflammation , which leads to damage of the intestinal epithelium. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an elevated risk for developing colorectal cancer because of this chronic inflammation. In an effort to develop strategies to break the cycle of inflammation, Dr. Brent Polk and colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles examined two mouse models of colorectal cancer. Their work shows that inactivating a key receptor, known as epidermal growth factor receptor, increases the frequency and severity of colorectal tumors. Though epidermal growth factor has well-defined roles in promoting tumor growth, the Polk team now finds that epidermal growth factor receptor can ameliorate the response to chronic inflammation and reduces tumor development by fine-tuning inflammation and the generation of intestinal epithelium. Their results suggest that promoting epidermal growth factor activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease could decrease long-term cancer risk by reducing inflammation.

TITLE:
Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibits colitis-associated cancer in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
D. Brent Polk
University of Southern California and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 323-361-2278; E-mail: dbpolk@chla.usc.edu

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62888?key=ab673ae8215aaf449677

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Public release date: 9-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Jackson
press_releases@the-jci.org
Journal of Clinical Investigation

Inflammatory bowel disease is caused by chronic inflammation , which leads to damage of the intestinal epithelium. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have an elevated risk for developing colorectal cancer because of this chronic inflammation. In an effort to develop strategies to break the cycle of inflammation, Dr. Brent Polk and colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles examined two mouse models of colorectal cancer. Their work shows that inactivating a key receptor, known as epidermal growth factor receptor, increases the frequency and severity of colorectal tumors. Though epidermal growth factor has well-defined roles in promoting tumor growth, the Polk team now finds that epidermal growth factor receptor can ameliorate the response to chronic inflammation and reduces tumor development by fine-tuning inflammation and the generation of intestinal epithelium. Their results suggest that promoting epidermal growth factor activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease could decrease long-term cancer risk by reducing inflammation.

TITLE:
Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibits colitis-associated cancer in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
D. Brent Polk
University of Southern California and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 323-361-2278; E-mail: dbpolk@chla.usc.edu

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62888?key=ab673ae8215aaf449677

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/joci-dc070312.php

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